Unknown to many people, honeybees are not native to the desert southwest. Spanish settlers first brought them here during the mission building period to sweeten sacramental wine. European honeybees quickly naturalized in our desert environment and became a major source for pollination of developing commercial crops and native desert plant species. Our bee honey carries distinctive flavors from the pollen and nectar harvested by our desert bee population and is widely recognized to be one of the finest tasting honeys produced in the world. We are third generation beekeepers specializing in wholesale production of southwest desert bee products.

With the advent of Africanized Honeybees entering Arizona from Mexico in 1993, we have had many inquiries from the public and public agencies seeking information about how to handle the consequent problems caused by killer bees moving in and establishing in residential areas. Unfortunately, they have also been very adept at usurping commercial beehives and have seriously affected the beekeeping industry in southern Arizona. Africanized bees are honey bees, but they are difficult to work with, gregarious, potentially lethal, and unreliable in terms of honey production. After trying to work with them for years, commercially, we do not try to collect them or attempt to re-condition their hives anymore. The public should be aware that they are very dangerous, if established in colonies, and can cause tremendous structural damage to residential and commercial buildings - they are not in scarce supply, not domesticated and do not require the care and attention a beekeeper would give them. They are disease resistant, plentiful, and should be viewed as potentially lethal pests.

If you have a bee problem, unless you are living near a commercial beekeeping operation, the bees are Africanized and we recommend extermination by a professional bee removal specialist company. There are many companies that have entered the business, without credentials, experience or the necessary state licensing to do this, so be very careful in your selection of a bee service, bee pest control, bee removal or beekeeper that claim the ability to do this. Pest control companies are dabbling in the business, but this is not just a pest control problem. Spraying with strong insecticides will not take care of the honeycomb, pheromone deposits, and structural damage or reduce the chance of future re-infestation of the site. Of all the companies we know, we would highly recommend AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists, Inc. they have an excellent, informative website that you can visit at: